Power plant.



W. G. MEADOWS.

POWER PLANT.

APPLICATION FILED APRJS, 1912. v v

Patented Dec. 17,191.2.`

lladw I /f W @my tuLUMqIA PLANOGRAPH C`0.. WASHINGTON, D. C.

@mi/Umbau@ I Y I W. C. MEADOWS.

POWER PLANT.

APPLICATION FILED un. 1s. 1912.

1 ,047,675, Patented Dec.17,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co.. WAHINGTON, D, C.

WILLIAM C. MEADOWS, OF IPKOR-S-KNOB,y NORTHCAROLINA.

POWER rLANT.

- Application filed April 13,

, y. *ToV all whom, t may concern n.

i Be it known that I, WILLIAM C.' MEAD- ows, a citizen ofthe United States of America, residing at Poors Knob, in the county of Wilkes and State of North Carolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Power Plants, of which'the folj lowing is a specification.

' This invention relates toimprovements in hydraulic power plants and mot-ors and has part-icular application to that type of'power plant wherein a water wheel is sunk or fasktenedfin a stream or race way sothat the is my purpose to provide a hydraulic powerV system wherein by means of a motor sunk in a `race -way or streamy watery may be conveyed to a desired `point for consumption or utilization and put vunder pressure and subsequently utilized for driving various household articles and the like, such as churns, fans, washing machines and nu1nerous other devices. ,It is also my purpose to provide a water motor wherein the water wheel thereof may bel driven by impact and the jet of water impinging against thev wheel confined in such manner as to obtain the maximum driving power therefrom.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction,

` combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth in and yfalling within the scopeof the appended claim.

In'the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a hydraulic power system constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2is a ysideelevation, parts being broken away yof a watery motor constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 3 is a vertical central sectional view of a water motor. Fig. t is a plan'view of r'one of the buckets carried bythe motor showing the manner of making" ythe same. Fig. 5 is a detail perspectivey view of a bucket made up, and Fig. 6 is a modified form of mechanism for yforcing the water to the point of utilization. f

Similar reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views.

" y In practising 4my invention, a 'suit-able.

yand 3, embodies a circular ycasing 5 in the yform of water wheel is located ywithin-a Specification of Letters Patent.

suitable' or preferredV manner.

Patented Dec. 17, 1.912.

1912. Serial No. 690,543.

such stream or race way to operate a pump wherebyy water from the same stream or another stream or the like may be forced to the desired point of consumption and stored under pressure and subsequently utilized for various yho-usehold purposes. In accordance with my invention, the water after being sucked up by the pump is forcedinto an air tank with the eifectto compress the air in such tank which in turn puts the water unf der pressure so that the same-may be de- `livered to various parts of the dwelling ory which in this instance is constructed in any Connected to the wheelW is a pump P provided with suitable check valves and designed to draw consumption. Leading from the pump P to the point of consumption is a delivery pipe 1 terminating in a pressure'tank 2 connected up to ay suitableV source of air pressure andfadapted to receive the water from the pump P so that such water may be put under pressure incident to the air within the tank2, as will be readily understood.

so water from' the stream A or other suitable; source and force the same to the point of This tank 2, as shownin Fig. l, maybe washing vmachine M, and fan F and may f valso be connected to variousother household devices whichrequire -power to operate the same.

From the foregoing, it will :be seen that ythe water is takendirect from Ithe stream or the likejand pumped to the point of consumption where it is put under' pressure or stored lso that such'water maybe utilized t i when desired. i y The water ,motor 3, as shown in' Figs. 2

side walls of which is journaled a shaft 6y arranged transversely and centrallyk of the casing and provided with a water wheel 7 keyed upon the shaft 6 in any suitable manner so that in the movement of the wheel motion may be transmitted to such shaft. The wheel 7 is adapted to be driven by impact and is provided with a plurality of peripherally arranged buckets which receive the water and owing to the impact of t-he water thereon drive the shaft 6. These buckets are constructed in such manner as to retain the water for a suitable length of time after` the same has impinged thereon to assist in the transmission of motion to the shaft 6 and also confine the water to the periphery of the wheel and prevent the splashing of such water upon the casing. Thus, the water is held within the buckets and caused to act thereon in such manner as to give up its maximum driving capacity. The buckets, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, are indicated as an entirety by the letter B and each is stamped from a single sheet of metal and is shaped, as disclosed in Fig. 4, to provide a fastening ange 8, an impact flange 9 and defiector wings 10, 10 integral with the impact flange 9 and arranged at the opposite sides of such flange. The lower edges of the wings 10, 10 are adapted to be bent upon a line, as 11, arranged at an angle to the juncture of the impact flange 9 with the fastening' flange 8 to form securing plates 12, 1Q, each of which engages the upper surface of the proximate side of the flange S to form the bucket, as shown in Fig. 5, suitable bolts or rivets being passed through the plates 12 and flange 8 to hold the metal in bucket formation. If desired, the buckets may be cast or molded to present the shape above described. The buckets thus constructed, are arranged about the periphery of the wheel 7 and by means of the fastening flange 8 are bolted or otherwise suitably fastened to such wheel and are adapted to receive the water by impact and confine the same within themselves to obtain the maximum driving power of such water. The casing 5, is provided with an inlet 14 adapted to discharge the water into the buckets at a tangent to the wheel and this inlet 14; is disposed at the upper sides of the casing 5, while the lower side of such casing is provided with an outlet-.15 by means of which the water is discharged from the casing. Thus, when the water strikes the buckets on the wheel 7 the wheel is driven by impact and the water prevented from splashing owing to the formation of the buckets and confined within such buckets, so that when the buckets have passed the inlet 1&1, the water will be retained within the buckets to facilitate the driving of the wheel, owing to the water within the buckets tending to seek the center of gravity, as is obvious.

Referring now to the modification shown in Fig. 6, the race way or mill stream is indicated at A and terminates in a contracted outlet 16 having communication with a casing 17 of a water motor, communication between the casing 17 and the race way A being controlled through the medium of a regulating valve 18. VVit-hin this casing 17, is located a water wheel carrying upon its periphery a plurality of buckets constructed in a manner ident-ical to that her-einbefore described with reference to the wheel 7. This casing 17, is also provided with an outlet 19 which may be carried back to the race way A so that the water after being utilized in the water motor may be taken back to the race way. The shaft of the wheel of this motor has keyed thereto in any suitable manner exteriorly of the casing 17 a pinion 2O meshing with a gear 21 keyed upon a crank shaft 22 to which is connected the pump rod 23 ofthe pump P.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, mode of operation and manner of employing my invention will be readily apparent to tho-se skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have herein shown and described certain preferred forms of my invention by way of illustration, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the exact details of construction herein described and delineated, as modification and variation may be made within the scope of the claim and without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

In a water motor, a casing, a wheel rotat` ably mounted in the casing and adapted to be driven by impact, buckets secured to the periphery of the wheel, each bucket consisting of a sheet of metal bent to provide a fastening flange and an impact flange, deflector wings connected to the oppo-site sides of the impact flange and bent on a line at an angle to the impact flange at the juncture of the latter with the fastening flange to form securing plates adapted to be fastened to the fastening flange, an inlet for the casing arranged at a tangent to the periphery of the wheel, and an outlet for the casing.

In testimony whereof I affix my signa ture in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM C. MEADOWS.

Vitnesses:

Mrs. R. C. JENNINGs, It. C. MEADOWS.

Gopes of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

